William iiarkness



(No Model.)

' W. HARKNESS. AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER NOZZLE 0R VALVE FOR FIRE 'EXTINGUISHERS.

Np. 417,025. Patented Dec. 10m 1889.

F I G 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM IIARKNESS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y,

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER NOZZLE OR VALVE FOR FIRE-EXTlNGUISHERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,025, dated December 10, 1889.

Serial No. 282,358. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM IIARKNESS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sprinkler Nozzles or Valves for Fire-Extinguishers, which are fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable construction for automatic fire-extinguishin g sprinkling nozzles or valves which shall embody simplicity combined with effectiveness.

In carrying out my invention I form the body part of the nozzle with a spring-diaphragm, in which is located the seat of the valve. The valve is placed into position and locked there by the employment of a suitable ball-and-arm mechanism held in place by means of a union with the frame of the nozzle or an extension thereof through the agency of a fusible solder capable ofgliquefaction at a low temperature, as is customary in sprinklers of this class. The spring-diaphragm is formed by having the valveseat upon the central portion of a light sheet-metal diaphra gm, of brass or other suitable metahwhich is soldered or otherwise secured to the body part and is backed by a diaphragm of spring metal, such as hard brass or steel. This spring-diaphragm has a central orifice immediately below the orifice in the outer diaphragm which forms the valve-seat and the discharge-orifice for the liquid, and is held in place within the body part by the outer dia phragm, which is secured in a liquid-tight manner. Immediately below the valve-seat and diaphragm is a stationary spraying-plate having obstructions for properly sprayin the liquid in lateral directions, and this plate has a central orifice, which receives the stem of the valve and holds it in position. \Vhen the valve has dropped, it hangs upon the plate and presents a rounded surface to the water or liquid rushing out of the orifice and directs it laterally in all directions. When the valve is pressed into place, it is held there by an arm, as aforesaid, through the intervention of a loose spherical piece or ball or other equivalent piece easily dislocated upon the freeing of the arm.

Another important feature in the construction of my sprinkler is the grinding of the valve to its seat. This enables me to use hard metalssuch as brassforboth the seat and valve.

In all sprinklers heretofore used the valve or its seat, or both, were formed with a soft metal,such as leador of a packing materialsuch as vulcanized fiber; but these substances are very objectionable, inasmuch as they in time lose their effect by change of condition or decomposition, causing leaky joints. The sprinklers stand for months, and

sometimes years, without requiring any duty M of the valves, and hence in their ma11ufacture provision must be had to guard against such leaks. If lead were used, it is evident that aside from its oxidation and change its extreme ductility would, through the constant jarring felt in all large buildings, cause the gradual compression of the lead Without its returning to its first shape, owing to its lack of elasticity, and ultimately a leak is the result, with, may be, great injury to the goods below the sprinkler. This possibility of leaking must be overcome, and I have found that it can only be prevented by making these parts (formerly of soft material) of hard metal and with ground joints.

By grinding the valve into its seat, and by employing an elastic seat, I am enabled to adjust my sprinklers and make the valves liquid-tight without the least trouble, as the parts mutually adjust themselves to each other.

As far as I am aware, I am the first to resort to this construction of liquidtight valve in an automatic fire-extinguisher sprinklernozzle.

lVhile I prefer to make the sprinkler as herein set out, it is evident that the parts may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

This invention is an improvement upon Letters Patent Nos. 356,874, of 1587, and 323,578, of 1885, granted to me.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention. with the sprinkler in a sealed or normal condition. Fig. 2 is a crosssectional elevation of same, showing the parts when dischargii'ig water. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of Fig. 1 on line a: 00, and Fig. at is an enlarged sectional view of the spring-diaphragm fastenin A is the body part, and terminates at the top in the tube a, adapted to be united to a pipe-line by a suitable coupling. The bottom part is bell-shaped or flaring, and has an annular shoulder f cut in it, on which rests the disk-shaped spring F, having the central opening E. Immediately upon or over this disk is a flexible diaphragm G, of brass or other flexible metal, and has its outer edge bent down, as at c, to fit into groove f and press upon the spring diaphragm or disk F, so as to leave a small space between F and C. The central part of this diaphragm C is perforated, and forms the valve-seat d of the valve D. The rim 6 of the body part is bent over the diaphragms and the joint soldered or otherwise made liquid-tight. \Vhen the valve-seat is forced up, the diaphragm C presses upon the spring-diaphragm F, and thus makes the valve-seat elastic in its aotiou.

Screwed or otherwise fastened to the body part A at B is a frame I, made U-shaped and having a stationary spraying-plate H, the upper surface of which is close to the diaphragm, and has an annular row of projections h upon it'to properly distribute the water. The central part of this plate has an opening P, in which the shank O of the valve D plays and is guided. WV hen the valve is down, as shown in Fig. 2, it hangs upon the plate and presents its rounded top surface to the water issuing from the orifice E. To one side of the frame I is an arm .I, having a bend M at its end.

K is the retaining-arm, whose end It rests upon the projection t' of the frame I as a fulcrum, and holds the valve in a raised position by ball L, and when so placed this arm has its other end N fitted to the arm J, above referred to, and soldered at L by means of a highly-fusible metal solder. The soldered endsof the parts .I and K are made very thin, so as to be quickly heated, and thus make the nozzle very sensitive. When the solder melts, the weight of the arm K, assisted by the spring-diaphragm acting through the valve and ball, throws the arm down, and the valve drops quickly, allowing of the discharge of liquid.

The details shown are those which practice dictates; but I do not confine myself to them.

Having now described my invent-ion,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic fire-extinguisher sprinkler-nozzle, the combination of the body part having a spring valve-seat of hard metal and a hard-metal valve, a mechanism to hold said valve to its seat, consisting of a ball and arm in engagement with each other, one of which bears against the frame of the body part and the other against the valve, and a fusible jointto hold the arm in place, substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. In an automatic sprinklernozzle, the combination of the body part A, the seat-diaphragm 0, having the valve-seat D, of hard metal, the spring-diaphragm F, having opening E, the frame I, having spraying-plate H, arranged below the valve-seat, a valve-guide in said spraying-plate, the valve D, of hard metal, guided thereby, and a mechanism to hold the valve to its seat, consisting of a ball and arm in engagement with each other, one of which bears against the frame of the body part and the other against the valve, and a fusible joint to hold the arm in place, substantially as hereinbefore described.

3. In a sprinkling-nozzle, the combination of the body part A, having shoulder f and groove f, the seat-diaphragm 0, having the valve-seat D, of hard metal, and curved periphery c, the spring-diaphragm F, having opening E, arranged close to diaphragm O, and secured to the body part by a liquid-tight joint at e, a valve-support, and a valve D, of hard metal, substantiallyvas set forth.

4. In an automatic fire-extinguishersprinkler-nozzle, the combination,with the body part, of the valve-seat, of hard metal, afixed spraying-plate arranged below said valve-seat, a movable valve, of hard metal, adapted to move through said spraying-plate, a mechanism to hold the valve to its seat, consisting of a ball and arm in engagement with each other, one of which bears against the frame of the body part and the other against the valve, and a fusible joint to hold the arm in place, substantially as hereinbefore described.

5. In an automatic fire-extinguisher sprinkler-nozzle, the combination of the body part, an elastic valve-seat, of hard metal, a fixed spring-plate arranged below said valve-seat, a movable valve, of hard metal, adapted to move through said spraying-plate, a mechanism to hold the valve to its seat located below the spraying-plate, which consists of a ball and arm in engagement with each other, one of which bears against the frame of the body part and the other against the valve,a fusible joint to hold the arm in place, and a stop to limit the fall of the valve, so as to keep its top on a level with spraying-plate, substantially as hereinbefore described.

6. In an automatic fire-extinguishersprink ler-nozzle, the combination of a body part A, tube a, spring-metal diaphragm-disk F, having central opening E, which disk fits in a groove f in body part A, spring-metal diapl'iragm-disk C, of hard metal, placed immediately below diaphragm E, and having its outer edge bent up, as at c, and a central opening or valve-seat D, the joint between these two diaphragms and the body part being soldered together or otherwise made liquid-tight, U-shaped frame I, secured to body part A, having an arm J, forming a part of 10 over the bent end M of arm J, which ends are soldered together by a metal solder fusible at a low temperature, and a ball of metal L, placed between valve D and end k of the re taining-arin K to hold the Valve D in a raised position and against its seat, substantially as I 5 and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

\VILLIAM HARKNESS.

lVitnessc-s:

GEO. H. SONNEBORN, G, H. ABBEY. 

